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Recently, Hal Lindsay aired a show debunking the top 10 reasons why people refuse to come to Christ. I will list one reason each issue and expound on them.

Statement number 2 aired by Hal Lindsay said, "I may have broken the 10 commandments but I do good things for people. If God is fair, the scales will balance."

If I go into a bank armed with a gun and steal some money and happen to get caught, what do you think the judge would say if my defense stood on this statement, "Hey, I made mistake judge. You will forgive me won't you. After all, I've helped a lot of people even giving lots of my money to the church." Do you think this judge would let the crime go unpunished? What do you think my chances of bribing him with my good works would be?

The principle is the same with God's law. His law would have to be kept perfectly our entire lives if we were to have any chance to get into heaven by our works. James 2:10 states: For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.

Since no one has kept the law perfectly their entire lives then everyone is guilty of breaking of all of the laws. God is omnipotent and sees all so you can't hide your transgression from God. God demands perfect righteousness for a person to be admitted into heaven and all of us fall far short of it. If we are depending on our good works to balance the scales of righteousness, then we are in a heap of trouble.

Thankfully, God provided a way for us to get into heaven that is not dependent on our works because His Son paid the price for our transgression. His Son lived the perfect sinless life and died in our place so that we might have life for all of eternity and yet there are many who reject Him depending on their "works" to balance the scales. How foolish.

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In Anton Lavey's 9 satanic statements the ninth one claims that Satan is the best friend the church has ever had because he has kept it in business all these years. As in everything connected with Satan, the truth is mixed in with falsehoods.

The underlying problem with this line of reasoning is that it implies that Satan is the head of the church. If there was no Satan, then there would be no church. This is a half-truth. Satan is the one in whom sin began. Satan was the one who deceived Eve in the Garden of Eden. Yes, if there was no Satan there would be no church because there would be no need of a church.

Does the scripture teach that Satan is the church's best friend? What is the church anyway? Who built the church?

Jesus told Peter And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. Peter was the one who led the apostles into the world proclaiming the good news (gospel) that Christ died so that they might live. Anyone who believed that and put their trust in Christ became a part of the church. The definition of the true church is the body of people who have accepted Christ as payment for their sins and try to live for Christ from that point on.

To say Satan is the church's best friend is like saying the best friend Jesus ever had was Satan. The scriptures teach us that Satan did everything he could to keep Jesus from going to the cross. In other words, the devil was trying to prevent the church from being born.

Satan knows prophecy better than we do. He did everything he could to corrupt Israel so God would have no choice but to punish them. God never did destroy his people, He just disciplined them.

Satan showed Jesus all of the kingdoms of this world and told Jesus they would be His if only Jesus would worship Satan. This was an attempt to corrupt Jesus so he could not bear the weight of the world's sin on the cross.

In the garden of Gethsemane, when Jesus was praying for the cup to pass from Him, He was under an attack by Satan at that time because he was sweating blood and an angel came to give Him strength. I believe Satan was trying to kill Jesus so He could not go to the cross because Jesus said He laid down His life for us voluntarily, it was not taken from Him.

When they came to arrest Jesus, Peter cut off a guard's ear which brought a rebuke from Jesus who said to Peter, "Get behind me Satan!" Matthew 8:33 Anything that stood between Jesus and the cross was satanic in origin. The cross represents the church.

It would have been correct if Anton Lavey had said, "Satan is religion's best friend." There is only one true religion and you wouldn't classify it as a religion but a relationship. It is only a relationship with Christ and accepting what He has done for you on the croos that will get you into heaven. Paul said in Acts 4:9 - 129 If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, 10 let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. 11 This is the 'stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.' 12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

If there is no other name in heaven among men that man can be saved by, then that means all worship not centered on Christ is in vain. In fact, it is a form of devil worship. Take a look at history. Satan has a habit of corrupting the church and causing great evil to be done in the name of religion and Christianity. The splitting of churches into denominations is anther example of Satan in the church because Satan is always attacking the true church.

Satan is not the church's best friend, he is our deadliest enemy.

Copyright 2005 by Gary Goodworth